Sonic Underground: The Search for Aleena
by Foxfire251
Summary: "Legend has it, that when the stars are at their brightest, the three children of Aleena will unite with their mother, and form the council of four, and strike down Robotnik and his evil regime" That prophecy was made about seventeen years ago, and now... It may very well come true... They made a vow... Their mother will be found...
1. Chapter 1: Meet the Undergrounders

**Sonic Underground: The Search for Aleena**

"_If this fic were an actual series, the opening song for it would totes be 'All I need is a Miracle' by Mike and the Mechanics. I __really__ hope someone flash animates that…" -Foxfire251_

**Warning: This fic has been given a mature rating for language, mild sexual content, some nudity, violence, blood, use of firearms, use of alcohol and drugs, references to war, torture, and death.**

**Reader Descretion is advised.**

**Sonic Underground and all characters therin are the property of Sega, DIC entertainment, and L.P. and Les Studios**

**This is a fanmade work of fiction, so please support the official release.**

**And yes, I know the show was canceled years ago, but support it by buying the DVDs and whatnot.**

**Luckily, though, the comics actually did do a special that was sort of a conclusion for SU, so I guess we have that, I suppose.**

**But, I guess that fanfiction has just sort of always been the go-to place for stuff like that.**

**Oh well…**

**Chapter one: Meet the Undergrounders**

_Years ago, Queen Aleena Hedgehog and King Jules Hedgehog were blessed with three beautiful children; Sonic, Sonia, and Manic._

_However, their happiness was short-lived, as their minister of science, Dr. Ivo Robotnik, staged a coup de'atat, aided by Lord Scales Draconus, their royal advisor._

_Aleena had managed to escape to safety with their children, but Jules was not as fortunate. Scales betrayed and murdered him, leaving Jules and Aleena's children fatherless._

_However, even in the midst of the chaos and uncertainty, there was still a glimmer of hope._

_The wise and powerful Oracle of Delphius told of a prophecy that would spell the end of Robotnik's tyranny._

"_When the stars are at their brightest, the three children will unite with their mother and become the council of four and strike down Robotnik and his evil regime."_

_However, it was still much too soon, as the children were still but infants when the prophecy was made. So, to keep them safe, Aleena gave up her three children to the kindness of strangers, Sonic to a family of three in Greenleaf village, Sonia to a wealthy aristocrat in Locke Hill, and Manic to a clan of thieves in downtown Robotropolis._

_Now, seventeen years later, Sometime after the death of Ivo Robotnik, Julius Robotnik, his son, has long taken reign over his father's empire, and with him, came the dividing of the conquered regions, each being governed by their own Regional Boss, all of whom were appointed individuals that Julius personally trusted._

_And, fighting for justice on Mobius, was the rebellion; The Freedom Fighters, led by the Princess of the conquered Acorn Kingdom, Sally Acorn, along with her second in command officers, Col. Logan Stryker, a former Field-Grade officer in the Mobodoon Royal Guard, and Commander Erik Connor, AKA "Commander Clash", a former G.U.N. Black Ops soldier whose entire Black Ops unit was killed at the hands of Julius Robotnik after a failed mission to assassinate him some ten years ago._

_But even now, forces are at work that will bring the three children of Aleena togther once more._

_This is the story of these three children, and their neverending search for their mother…_

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_Sonic's Intro_

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My name's Sonic. Sonic the Hedgehog. I'm sixteen, but my seventeenth birthday is actually in two days. I live with my Uncle Chuck, who is the most awesomest person I know of, my adoptive younger sister Mia, who used to live with my foster family before they were… Well… Killed… Ah-anyways, and my Cousin Charlie, who has hated my guts for a good chunk of my life because apparently he blames me for having his left leg blown off by machine gun fire from an imperial machine gun truck. I mean, how was _I_ supposed to know that they'd fire upon him even after letting him go? I mean, sure they captured his mom and probably roboticized her much later, and that they're the bad guys and that's just how they are, but they could of at least outright said that if he tried to run away they would shoot at him!

… I feel like I've gotten off track somehow.

Well, anyways, I live in the suburban district of Greenleaf Village, which is pretty surprisingly close to the aristocratic district of Locke Hill, within walking distance, in fact. All you would need to do is cross the bridge that goes over the Jules River and you're there. Just don't expect to be invited to any of their parties, though. They're pretty uptight when it comes to 'Undergrounders' like me.

But despite all that, I also have a huge secret, and it is that my Uncle Chuck and I are both members of the resistance against the Robotnik Empire; The Freedom Fighters! I actually happen to be their personal MVP, as a matter of fact! Not only that, but Uncle Chuck happens to be the head of their reconnasaince program, The Spy Network. Their job is to help us determine where to strike the empire next, and right about now, they're getting ready to take on the base of the Regional Boss of this area.

Well, enough about me, let's get right to my story, shall we?

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_Sonic's basement rec room_

_412 Freeman's Place_

_April 22nd, 3340_

_Present day…_

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"So, you're saying that Dann had news?"

A young, seventeen-year-old mobian fox sat on a folding chair, tuning his guitar whilst asking Sonic the above question.

He had brownish-orange colored fur, long brown hair that was done in a ponytail behind him, green eyes, and wore an orange leather jacket that looked to be three shades of red away from Thriller, dark blue designer jeans, and a pair of bright orange Adidas sneakers with a yellow buckle strap. He also wore a gold medallion around his neck that was shaped like a sword, but we'll get into that a little later.

Sitting on a couch to his right was a mobian lynx boy, about 16 in age, with golden colored fur with black spots, black hair that was styled in a spiked devil's do and had streaks of red and yellow in it, hazel colored eyes, and wore a sand red button-up t-shirt overtop a long-sleeved fishnet top, orange, red and yellow camoflage pants, and bright red sneakers that had silver-colored laces, and was twirling a silver ring coin in between his fingers.

Sitting next to him on the couch was an eighteen year old mobian lynx girl, with long black hair, bright, blue eyes, same color fur and spots as her brother, and wore a black Playmobian t-shirt with a white silhoutte of the signature Playmobian Chao emblem, long, elbow length fingerless black silk opera gloves, a red and yellow plaid miniskirt that looked to be almost _too_ short, long, thigh-length white silk stockings, and a pair of deep red boots that only reached her ankles. She bore a very distant look on her face, almost as if she was fantasizing about something dirty.

Sonic nodded to the fox. "Something important, judging by the tone of his voice over the phone." He answered. "Maybe he's finally gotten us more fans." Said the Lynx, who then turned to the elder lynx girl and said, "… Not that we're trying to replace you or anything, Lydia." "It's okay, Flare…" Said Lydia, "I'll always be you guys' number one fan!" She then licked her lips teasingly, then added, "… _Always…_" In a creepily suggestive manner. The fox sighed irritably. "You have a hell of a sister, Flare." He said, "She may very well make the registered sex offender's list yet." "Fuck you, Jake." Flare responded sarcastically, sticking out his tongue. "Chill out, guys." Said Sonic, "I'm sure whatever news Dann has for us is good news. I mean, c'mon, it's not like anyone's died or anything, right?"

"That depends on the context of which you are using."

The group turned their gaze to the direction of the stairs to the basement to see their two only human friends enter. One was of course, Chris Thorndyke, who was seventeen years old and the son of a wealthy buisnessman who owned a tech industry known as 'Thorndyke Industries', who was accompanied by his slightly younger step brother.

He was about 16, with light skin, brown eyes, short black hair, and wore a navy blue t-shirt with the Quicksilver logo on the front of it, tan khaki cargo shorts, and a pair of black Nike sneakers. He also had a laptop folded under his arm.

"What context?" Sonic asked, "Also, what the fuck took you, Dann? I thought you and Chris were going to go get Jillian and Drake?" Dann laid the laptop on a coffee table in the middle of the circle of various seats, then sat down on a translucent pink inflatable couch right in front of it, then explained. "Well, I got good news, and I got bad news, which is consecutively followed by even more bad news." He then gave a sly smile, then added, "Which do you guys want to hear first?"

Sonic and Jake looked to one another, then Sonic replied with, "The good news, obviously!"

Dann grinned, then said, "Thought you'd want to hear it. Well, basically, it goes like this…" He paused for a moment, then said, "… I got us a gig."

Sonic's eyes lit up instantly.

"A gig?!" Him and Jake asked simultaniously.

Dann nodded.

"Holy shitsnacks! That's great!" Sonic exclaimed, "Finally, our chance at the big time!" "Assuming, of course," Flare added, "That we even get discovere-"

"What's the bad news?" Jake interrupted.

Dann looked to his oder stepbrother and sighed. "The bad news…" He answered, "… Is that we're down a drummer and a keyboardist." "Why's that?" Sonic asked, "I thought that Jillian and Drake were our keyboardist and drummer?" "Yes, they 'were' our keyboardist and drummer." Dann responded, "But not anymore they're not." "Why?" Sonic asked again. "Well, for starters," Dan explained, "Jillian's dead."

"**WHAT**?!" Sonic exclaimed, "Why is she dead?!"

"Her parents found her body this morning lying on the floor next to her desk, with a heroine needle sticking out of her arm." Dann replied. "I had no idea she was doing heroine." Said Flare. "Yeah," Dann responded, "And cocaine, too apparently."

"And what about Drake?" Jake asked, "He's not dead too, is he?" "No," Dann answered, "But he _was _nabbed by the Imperial police last night. They claim he was a 'Freedom fighter promoter' even though all he really did was piss on a statue of Ivo Robotnik over at the courthouse." "Why would he do something stupid like that?" Jake asked, raising an eyebrow. "Because he was drunk." Dann replied, "And now he's probably halfway to the roboticizer. Which means that if we don't find ourselves a new drummer and keyboardist in exactly four days time, we can't go to the gig." He then opened up his laptop and brought up Chirper on his web browser. "I would like to think that if we put the word out now," Said Dann, typing away on the keyboard, "We might be able to find at least someone willing to play for our shitty band." "You realize it's rather unrealistic that we'll find anyone else before the night of the gig, right?" Chris asked. "Dude, stop thinking so negatively." Dann told him, "There's gotta be someone who knows how to play drums or a keyboard, or even the piano at the very least! Actually, a piano-playing keyboardist sounds kinda cool now that I think about it." Just then, Jake's phona vibrated, signalling that he just got a text. He pulled it out and checked it, seeing that it was his younger brother, Tails, whose message read:

'_Aunt Chloe says to come home now.'_

Jake winced, then put his phone away.

"I gotta go, guys." Jake said, his voicetone giving hints of a whine. "Why?" Sonic asked, "You only got here two and a half hours ago." "Is it your controlling aunt again?" Flare asked mockingly. Jake cringed uncomfortably. "Oh my god, it totally is, isn't it?" Said Dann. Jake nodded. Dann chuckled. "Man, that woman practically _rules_ your life with an iron fist!" He joked. Jake shrugged. "She probably wants to get me hooked up with another possible 'Fiance' for me to get married to in about another four or so years." "Pfft! You aristocrats and your fucking arranged marriages." Said Sonic rudely. "At least I don't actually have to worry about Robotnik breathing down my neck constantly!" Jake snapped back sarcastically. Sonic rolled his eyes. "Of course," He retorted with blantent sarcasm, "How could I _ever_ forget that all you aristocrats have near-total immunity from the Roboticizer." He then stuck up his right hand, splaying his fingers wide apart while placing his left fist on his heart, then said in a mocking way, "'Heil Robotnik.'" "Would you stop?" Jake said, getting a little pissed off now, "It's not like that! Well, not entirely, at least. As long as we declare that we're completely loyal to the empire, they usually leave us alone." "Yeah, yeah, whatever." Sonic retorted, "Go see what your posh, controlling aunt wants." "She's not posh, and she's not controlling!" Jake yelled, "She just has high standards is all! Trust me, if she's having my brother text me to come back, then it's probably incredibly important and won't involve humiliation of myself in any way, shape, or form."

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_Prowess Manor_

_278 St. Zachary Drive_

_Locke Hill Aristocratic Community_

_Sometime later…_

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"Unngghh… Fuck me…" Jake groaned.

He sat upon a stool in front of his Aunt's mirror, wincing every time his cousin Gracie pulled a string on the corset he was being made to wear.

Gracie was a 19 year old mobian fennac fox, with bright golden yellow fur, long pointy ears that stuck out of her long, lavender hair, and had rose colored eyes to match. She wore a dress that she had made herself. It was colored a bright cerulean blue, and featured a wasp ballgown skirt design, coupled with a lace corset worn underneath, a pair of sky blue silk shoulder length opera gloves and a pair of navy blue heel pumps.

"Stay still, will you?" She scolded in her usual british accent, "I swear, you're worse than your brother sometimes." "Well, It's just that this whole thing is (Errghh!) stupid! What if I don't love her? What if she's (Arrghh!) one of those psycho chicks I saw on TV once?" Gracie stood back a moment, now finished tightening the strings on Jake's corset. "That should do it." She said, proud of her work. "Are you even listening to me?" Jake asked. "I am." Gracie replied, "It's just that it doesn't matter. As long as we can build an even stronger relationship with the Feline family, then in the end, that's all that matters. Now then, on to the outfit!" Jake shrugged. "What sort of guady outfit did you make for me this time?" He asked. Gracie shot him a glare. "First of all," She said, sounding offended, "My outfits are not '_gaudy_' They are originals! Beautiful, beautiful original outfits; suits, dresses, nightgowns, etc., etc. _**FAR**_ unlike those… Uggghhh! Those _'__**RAGS**_' you're used to wearing with those degenerate friends of yours. You know that your Aunt Chloe has always said that that Sonic boy is nothing but trouble, and yet you continue to hang out with him!

"And secondly, You should be grateful that you have a _'__living_' relative that happens to be an aspiring seamstress such as myself! Why, my dresses have been worn be even the likes of the daughter of the Regional boss of the Soviet Muthalands, Madame Anya Dragunov!"

"… You realize that that Anya chick's a total slut, right?" Jake asked.

Gracie slapped him across his cheek.

"How dare you!" She snapped at him, "Anya Dragunov is not a 'slut' as you so rudely put it! She is a fine, classy woman."

"Not according to her Mobiutube channel, she's not…" Jake retorted slyly, "I swear, you will _never_ see a Soviet woman wear latex as well as she does! In fact, she's actually an artist when it comes to kink! You ever see someone use an UZI as an external vibrator?"

Upon hearing this, Gracie scowled, then said, "And _that_ is exactly why your Aunt Chloe absolutely _despises_ that hedgehog!"

"At least his Uncle isn't a total _dill_ like your father." Jake retorted.

And it was then, that Gracie slapped him so hard, that he was sent flying into the wall behind him.

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_Jake's Intro_

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My name is Jacob Capulet Vi Britannia Prower. Everyone just calls me Jake for short, 'cause with a full name like mine, you'd probably stumble upon a few words saying it. I currently live with my Aunt Chloe, who is pretty much the most uptight and downright snooty woman I'd ever known in my entire life, my cousin Gracie, who is a rising fashionista, and is almost as snooty as her mother, my Uncle Marrick, whom is by far the biggest dickbag I'd ever met, which makes sense, because he is a high-ranked officer in the Robotnik Imperial Legion, and my little brother, Miles, whom I've always called Tails because of his "Defect" as my Aunt Chloe puts it. Basically, he was born with two tails instead of one, and because of this, my aunt treats him like he's some kind of freak, a mutant, even!

I hate her because of that.

I hate all three of those posh, snooty assholes.

The circumstances that lead to me living with them in the first place began back when I was about 10, while my brother was about four and a half.

I never knew my father. He's always been a ghost in my life. The only thing I have that reminds me of his existance is this medallion I always wear around my neck. I asked my mother why he would leave it for me, and she always told me that I'd know when the time comes. Regardless, my mother always told me that he loved us, even though I'd never met him. However, the trouble began when my mother was concieved with my little brother. Apparently, I had learned much later that she had been raped by someone while she was walking home from work. But, I think I'm grateful she didn't get an abortion, despite how my brother turned out when he came out of her womb.

However, my life then wasn't without struggle.

My mother was a politcal justice advocate, meaning that she spoke out against Robotnik on a constant daily basis. She was almost like the mobian equivalent of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., right down to the content of some of her speeches at all the rallies she attended.

But, like all freedom fighters like her, she ended up suffering dire consequences.

It happened one fateful night in December. It was close to Christmas time, about six or so days away, in fact. I woke up and walked downstairs to the bathroom to go pee, and saw my mother walking into the foyer where the stairs ended. And as I walked over to the bathroom, I heard the screeching of tires outside, followed by the cocking of machine guns. My mother then jumped on top of me, shielding me from the barrage of bullets coming from outside. And As quickly as it had started, the gunfire had stopped, and the sound of vehicles pulling away sounded outside.

I know now that it was Robotnik that had her killed.

No…

He _murdered_ her…

So, now me and my brother live with the aristocratic half of the family, and life here is a real pain in the ass.

And now, my Aunt Chloe is forcing me into yet another arranged marriage, this time saying that she'll ground me for monthes if I fuck up this time.

The only reason I broke up with the last three brides-to-be was that we just didn't have an chemistry. One of them even became a lesbian after I turned her down.

But this time, however…

I dunno…

I think I might actually like this girl…

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_Ten minutes later…_

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_Jake's POV_

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Sonia…

Her name was Sonia.

She was this beautiful, pink hedgehog, strangely reminding me of Sonic if he had been born a girl. She was fifteen, but she was turning sixteen in two days, which even more strangely fell on the same day as Sonic's birthday. Her eyes were a beautiful rose color, and her hair, spines and fur were a bright bubblegum pink. She wore this beautiful wasp-style gown, and had a ribbon in her hair, pulling it back.

No doubt that was the work of her mother, Madame Felicity Feline.

So, basically, the way this was going to work was like this: after Sonia's 21st birthday, her and I would be married, and then would be given our own mansion, coupled with funds from both her family and mine, giving us a vast wealth, as well as our own land. Now, if we were to have kids, we would be given money for each one that we had, as well as for their private tutoring and tuition for school.

So, in a nutshell, our marriage would be based on only one thing: Money.

That's why I always hated this whole 'arranged marriage' bullshit.

But, right now, me and this Sonia girl were coming up with a plan.

"So, basically, we marry each other, then give away all the money they give us?" I asked. Sonia nodded. "They'll be _so_ pissed off, they won't even bother to check their bank accounts!" "And why would they need to do that?" I asked. Sonia smirked evily. "Because…" She answered, "We'll have wired it to a super secret bank account I happen to have."

I looked at her for a moment, trying to process the details of the plan she had just explained to me.

"… Do you _really_hate your mother _that much_?" I asked.

"Not entirely." She answered, "Just for the whole 'arranged marriage' thing. Last guy I got put on an act of elegance, then would grab my ass whenever no one was looking." "What was his name?" I asked curiously. "Bartelby Mink." She responded, "Or rather, I _should_ say, 'Brat-elby Mink' Sure, he's the eldest son in the _ever_-so prestigous Mink family, but he is a _**PIG**_! He's like that guy that Mina Mongoose gave a lap dance to during her performance at the Mobian Music Video Awards."

"Isn't she like, fourteen?"

"Actually, no. She is thirteen!"

"Seriously?!"

Sonia nodded.

"… But she's _so_ well-developed! She's practically old enough to date my brother!"

"I hear she baby-sits as a side job."

I blinked twice, trying to take _that _in.

"She also once dated the lead guitarist for the Knothole Knuts about a year ago. They broke up only recently. He's actually the one who suggested that Mina dance on a stripper pole during that fateful performance. And for that, she kicked his ass like a wrecking ball!"

"You know a lot of shit about music." I told her. "Well," Said Sonia, "I _do_ listen to such awesome bands as Whitesnake, 45 Grave, Queen, Mike and the Mechanics, KISS, as well as a few of Billy Joel's hits." I then grabbed her by the shoulders, looked her in the eyes and said, "Sonia, I fucking _**LOVE**_ you!"

I realized how stupid I looked the moment I did that.

I let go of her, rubbed my shoulder, then said, "Sorry about that. I got a little carried away an-" "No, it's fine." She told me sweetly, "I actually feel the same way about people who are into the same kinds of things I'm into. For instance, you said you used to do figure skating and ballet at one point in your life." I cringed. "Yeah, I did," I responded, "But that was only because my Aunt Chloe forced me to. She claimed it would help me in later life." "Well," She retorted, "It would surprise you to know that I take gymnastics, Karate, and ballet all at once. Well, within the same weeks, anyways. My mom's actually making me put off a recital because of my birthday in two days!"

After she said that, my gaze went back to her medallion that she was wearing around her neck. It was shaped like a crescent-shaped piano, and was mase entirely of silver.

Once again, my thoughts went back to Sonic and his guitar-shaped medallion of the same kind of metal.

Come to think of it…

It also reminded me of _my_ medallion as well.

"So… Nice medallion." I said, not wanting to seem like a creep for staring at her, "Where'd you get it?" "huh? Oh, _this_?" She said, holding it up a little, "I've had this for years, actually. My mom said that I was wearing it since I was a baby. She said it belonged to my biological mother. But I asked her if I could someday meet her, but she said that she died in a car accident sometime after I was born." She then put down the medallion and then asked, "So, what about _your_ medallion? Is there some kind of story behind it?"

I knew she was gonna ask.

I sighed then answered.

"It belonged to my father, but… It's all that I have that proves that he even exists. I have no idea why he would leave it, but I guess maybe someday I'll find out…"

"Soniaaaa! We're leaving!" Her mother called from downstairs.

"Coming mom!" Sonia called back. She then smiled at me one last time, then said, "Before I go, I have one last question, and you have to be dead honest when you answer."

"Okay," I said, "Shoot."

She then looked into my eyes, then whispered, "Have you ever kissed a girl?"

My eyes went wide with surprise.

"And no, your mom doesn't count." She added.

Instantly, I shook my head.

She smiled, then said, "Well, allow me to fix that…"

She then leaned in, and planted a warm, passionate kiss on my lips.

It seemed to last longer than it actually did. Seconds turned to minutes, minutes to hours, moments to centuries! Time itself seemed to stand completely still as she locked her lips with mine…

And then, just like that, it was over.

She then pulled off, then asked, "How's that feel?"

My heart started racing a mile a minute, my entire body becoming hot and sweaty.

"I'll give you a bit to let it sink in…" She said, patting me on the shoulder as she left, "I gotta say, though, Jake, it's been a real Sslice!" She made a slight slicing gesture with her left hand as she said that. She then walked out of my bedroom, and out of my life for the day.

And so, after about twenty minutes of just sitting there like a goon, I then leapt up and shouted:

"**YYYYAAHOOOO**!"

It was official.

I had just kissed a girl for the first time in my life!

I was one more step closer to losing my virginity.

I felt so happy I could just wet my pants!

… Which I totally ended up doing anyway…

Goddammit.

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_Meanwhile…_

_Somewhere in Downtown Robotropolis…_

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'_Once upon a time, there was a land without heroes._

_Evil and tyranny ran amok._

_People, they were stuck at dead end jobs,_

_And sometimes also, dirt, gravel, molasses, etc._

_And then, from the hilltops, a shadowy figure emerged!_

_He was light, but also shadow._

_He also had telekinesis, super speed, was made of metal, and had the properties of water…_

_And he had great hair._

_It was Wild Hog, and his trusty Chao, Blue Steel!_

_Together, they had great hair!_

_Pow!_

_Meyoow!_

_Broooww!(1)_

_And then they made a billion rings…'_

A young, fourteen year old hedgehog boy said as he tore the comic book he was reading off the shelf in half, throwing aside both halves shortly after.

"Well, that was the biggest load of shit I'd ever heard in my life." He said, looking to his pet chao, blazer, "I think they used our likenesses. Can we sue?"

"Chao-chew." Blazer responded.

He nodded in agreement, then said, "Yeah, maybe we should sue."

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_Manic's Intro_

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Man, reality sucks. At least there were real heroes in stories!

In fact, you're reading one about such a hero right now.

My name is Manic. Manic the Hedgehog.

I'm fourteen years old, but am turning fifteen in two days. I also happen to be not only one of the best theives on Mobius, but also the very prince of all theives!

Four the past fourteen years of my life, I've lived with Thief King Lars Chaucer, and his clan of thieves, assassins and other do-no-gooders. I also have a pet chao named Blazer, whom I've personally trained to help in my profession. And on top of it all, I fucking _love_ to play drums.

I grew up doing it, really. My caretaker, Bakura, whom happens to be the taskmaster of our clan, once told me a story of how I used a bunch of baby bottles as a set of drums when I was but three monthes old, banging on them with a pair of spoons.

I'm also very good with tools, knives, nunchuks, my fingers, anything that can be used to rob someone comepletely deaf, dumb, and blind!

And so far, I've made a good life off of it!

But, however, one part of me longs for adventure. I don't care what kind of adventure it is, just anything to provide me with enough thrills to last a lifetime.

But, you know what they say…

Be careful what you wish for.

… Which also happens to be one of my all-time favorite books in the 'Goosebumps' series.

That, and '_Chicken, Chicken_'

That one actually scared me a little when I was younger.

Yeah, _that_ scared me!

But enough of that backstory bullshit…

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Manic walked casually down the sidewalk, singing a famiar tune by a familiar ageless rock star:

"_No one can blame you,_

_For walking away._

_Too much protection,_

_No love objection._

_Life can be easy,_

_It's not always swell,_

_Don't tell me truth hurts, little girl.._

'_Cause it hurts like hell… (Hurts like hell)_

_Down, in the underground_

_You'll find someone new_

_Down, in the underground,_

_You find… Find…'_

"Ergh, shit." He finally said, "I gotta watch that movie again so I can remember the lyrics to that song…" He then leaned against the brick wall of an alleyway he came upon, then groaned and said, "God, I'm so bored! I wonder what Ganon's up to right now?" realizing what he had just said, he then followed up with "Oh, woops! Wrong series." Suddenly, he spied some a huge crowd of people gather in a large plaza across the street. "What's going on over here?" He wondered aloud. He then walked over to investigate.

He then came upon a typical scene for the part of town he lived in.

Several imperial soldiers stood in front of a long, stone wall, armed with rifles, while an officer stood facing what looked like one of their prisoners.

He was Mobian, a chocolab, who looked to be in his late forties, with long grey hair, blue eyes, and wore a tattered military vest and cloth pants.

"Gregory Lab," Said the officer, "You are charged with conspiracy, and direct involvment with the rebellion against Robotnik. Any final words?"

"Fuck you!" the lab shouted, spitting in the man's face after. The officer then wiped his face, then walked up to behind his soldiers, then said, "Kill him." The soldiers then open fired upon the man, being sure to only fire in three-round bursts. After that the man, Gregory, presumably, crumpled to the ground, dead.

"Imperial bastards!" yelled another prisoner with a snarl. Not wanting to hear it, the officer then walked right up to the prisoner, put his pistol to the man's head, and shot him. After doing so, he turned to the other prisoners, then asked, "Anyone else care to speak out?"

There was a somber silence.

"Thought so." Said the officer, "Bring forward the next offender."

_A giant fire-breathing dragon should be swooping down any minute now…_ Manic thought to himself with a slight grin. His grin then subsided once he realized that a plot-based deus ex machina from a video game wasn't going to save these people any sooner than a non-plot based one.

So, he began to hatch a brilliant plan within the confines of his brain.

He ran out of the crowd for a moment, then returned after gathering the needed materials. Upon entering the crowd, he whispered instructions to key members of the crowd, slipping each of them a 50 ring bill for incentive. Next, he stopped for a moment, to get a lay of his surroundings; terrain, weather, time of day, bystanders, victims, antagonists, wind speed and temperature…

Faces…

Yes, it was clear to him now.

The Imperial officer carrying out the public executions…

He has a family of his own that he was now publically murdering people to get money to feed.

However, his youngest son was killed by a stray bullet from a Freedom Fighter's gun.

And because of this, Manic now knew how he was going to do what he was about to do.

After he finished his preparations, he was now ready.

He then moved to the row directly behind the front of the crowd facing the massacre, then gave the first signal.

At this, a half-finished large soda was sent flying at the Officer's face, hitting his blind side.

"Who threw that?!" the man bellowed, wiping the soda out of his eyes, then brandishing his pistol once more, "Who _dares_ to defy the empire?!"

Just then, another soda went flying, this time hitting the man in the face, blinding him for but a moment as it contained only a pinch of hot pepper sauce.

And then, a loud bang echoed through the air, followed by a gasp.

The officer finally managed to wipe the soda/pepper mixture out of his eyes, only to see what he had just done.

Manic stood there, clutching his stomach, where a large spot of red stained his TMNT t-shirt.

Of course, unbeknownst to the officer, that poor sap, this red spot was not blood, but rather a fake blood substance that Manic carried around in capsules in his thieve's toolkit in case of a scenario such as this.

Addtionally, for realism's sake, he had poked a hole in his shirt where the 'bullet' hit, and also placed a blood capsule in his mouth so he could cough up a few spatters of 'blood' for a tear-jerking effect.

He staggered towards the officer, coughing and sputtering drops of blood as he stumbled. He then collapsed at the officer's feet, gasping and heaving for dramatic effect.

"Oh dear god, what have I done…" The officer muttered.

"Mister…" Manic whimpered, bringing forth a few tears to make this scam of his even more realistic, "Why? Why did you shoot me? What did I do? Did I do something-" He gave a brief, violent cough, splattering a few drops of blood on the man's uniform, then continued, "… Wrong? Please tell me what I did… Please…" the officer then knelt down beside Manic, putting his pistol down beside him for a moment as he held Manic's delicate form. "I'm sorry kid…" He apologized, his feelings sincere for once, "I j-just… It was an accident…" Manic then grabbed the man's collar, then shed some more tears. "Please…" He whined, milking it for what it was worth, "Tell me… Will… Will I… Dream?" He then fell limp, reducing his heartbeat to give off the illusion of death.

The officer then stood back up, and closed his eyes, shedding tears of his own, and apparently forgot to retrieve his gun, which made things all that much easier for Manic's plan.

"It's… It's not fair…" the officer said softly and sadly, "He was just a kid… just like… Just like…"

"Like who?" Manic asked, whispering slightly.

"Like my son, of course…" the officer answered, forgetting who he was talking to for only a moment.

"Oh… That's so touching…" Manic replied with a sniffle, "So sad… Dem feels… But you know what else is sad?"

"What else is-" The officer began, but stopped when he realized what had just happened.

Manic lay there on his side there on the ground, munching on a chocolate-covered pretzel rod like a hedgehog-based Bugs Bunny.

"You've just been had by a profession thief!" He answered with a slick smile.

The officer turned back to where the remaining prisoners were supposed to be, only to find that they had escaped, and that his band of soldiers were all tied up, bound with duct tape.

"What the?!" the officer exclaimed. He then turned to Manic, glaring, and yelled, "You little brat!" Instinctively, he reached for his gun, however, it was not in it's holster, as he forgot to pick it back up earlier.

"Where's my gun-" The officer began, but then realized he was missing something else, too.

"**WHERE'S MY ****PANTS**?!" The officer exclaimed.

"Hey."

The officer did a 180 turn to see Manic twirling the officer's pistol around with his pointer finger looped through the trigger guard.

The officer then snatched the pistol out of Manic's hand, then pointed it directly at Manic's head.

Manic simply grinned, then said, "Good luck with that."

The officer then pulled the trigger…

… Only to hear a dreaded clicking noise emitted by the pistol's chamber.

"What?!" said the Soldier, checking the magazine, "But it's loaded!"

"Kinda hard to fire that thing without one of _these_, isn't it?" Manic taunted, opening his right hand to show off the firing pin for the gun laying in his palm. He then quickly closed his hand, then waved his other on over it as if he were a magician, then said, "Now you see it…" He then reopened his palm to reveal that the firing pin was no longer there. "… And now you don't!"

The officer threw a punch at Manic, only to have him jump on top of his outstretched arm, and deliver a high drop kick to his face. The officer was sent flying right into a lamppost, knocked out cold and with a broken nose.

Manic grinned triumphantly, then walked off, going towards an alley a little ways down the block. He then came upon the remaining two prisoners, who were a Mobian calico cat woman and a mobian corsac fox man. "Thank you for saving us, child." Said the woman. "Meh, ain't no thing." Said Manic, "I've played their game plenty of times before. Now then…" Manic then reached into one of his thieve's tool pouches, and pulled out about 10,000 rings in cash that he stole off of the imperial soldiers, as well as the officer, then handed about 5,000 to each of the two prisoners. "Here's some starter cash to hold you guys over. I would recommend that you two lay low for a while until the heat dies down, then try and find a ride out of town. Now, as far as that goes, the train is a good idea, but only if you're feeling ballsy, 'cause a lot of the stations have identity scanners, so for you guys, I wouldn't recommend taking that. However, the buses are probably your best bet, as they'll take anyone. Lastly, as far as your destination, I hear that there's a town built out of an old sugar plantation village run by the freedom fighters. It's called, 'The Sanctuary' and if you're gonna go there, stop at about New Green Run, then go west on route 12, then once you see a gateway on the side of the road, go to it, then tell them you want protection and all that. Got it?"

The two prisoners nodded. "And what about you, child?" Asked the man, "Where will you go?" Manic simply looked at him, then pulled out a pair of sunglasses, then slipped them over his eyes and said, "Wherever life takes me, my friend." He then turned away, then said, "Stay cool, you two." And walked away, walking down the sidewalk away from the scene he caused.

He continued down the street until he accidentally knocked into someone walking by him, causing him to fall over. "Hey! Watch where you're goi-" He stopped when he saw who he bumped into.

She was mobian, yes, but she was wearing a long, full body cloak, the hood draped over her head, masking her identity, save only her eyes, which were bright green. The woman looked down at Manic, as if longing for him, but simply helped him back up. "I'm sorry, child," She said, "Please excuse me, I'm in a bit of a hurry." The cloaked woman then ran off, leaving Manic just standing there. _That woman…_ he thought, _Why does she seem so… Familiar?_ He then shook his head, then ran off towards home, not noticing his drum-shaped medallion starting to glow luminously.

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Aleena watched Manic run off from afar, shedding a few tears.

She wanted to tell him…

She wanted it real badly…

But it was still too soon.

"I long for my children…" she whispered, "But I have to wait… To act too soon… Will seal their fate…"

She then looked up towards the evening sky.

The sun was setting, and dusk was coming. And there, right above in the middle of the coming night sky, was three bright stars, arranged in a triangle.

One blue.

One pink.

And one green.

"… So it begins…" She whispered, gazing up at the constellation wistfully.

_To be continued…_

_(1) This is a Jontron qoute, from his Nightshade review video. Just so it's clear._


	2. Chapter 2: Fighting evil by moonlight

**Sonic Underground: The Search for Aleena**

**The ratings and disclaimers for the previous chapter will also apply to this chapter and all subsequent chapters.**

**Reader Descretion is Advised.**

**Chapter two: "Fighting Evil by Moonlight"**

_Prowess Manor_

_Later that night…_

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_Jake's POV_

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_I walked through the hallways of what seemed like some kind of castle, which was lit only by the candles held in holders bolted to the walls here and there. I then came upon an elaborate-looking door, which bore an engraving matching the shape of my medallion. I reached out to open it, but as I did so, it slowly opened on it's own. When I walked through, I was suddenly in a wide, dark, blank space. I glanced backwards for a moment just in time to see the door dematerialize behind me. I knew now that there was no going back, wherever back was, that is._

_Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I spotted someone off in the distance. My eyes filled with tears once I recognized the woman._

"_Mom!" I cried out to her. _

_She didn't notice me. Instead, she started walking away. I ran after her, tears streaming down my cheeks as I ran._

"_Mom!" I cried again, quickening my pace._

_Again, she didn't aknowledge my presence. She simply kept on walking._

_It started to seem like no matter how fast I ran, despite her just walking, I couldn't catch up to her. Suddenly, I heard a voice. It was that of a man, but sounded elderly._

"_Let go, Jacob. Your destiny is not with her."_

_I stopped running, then glanced all around, trying to find the speaker._

"_Your destiny lies with the three children of Aleena, and their mother. When the time comes, you must be ready to protect them at all costs."_

_Suddenly, I felt something cold start to wrap around my legs. I looked down and saw dark, night black shadows start to creep up my legs, as if it was silk being swathed around me by a spider. The shadows quickly wrapped around my body, binding it together in a tight, shadowy cocoon. The shadows stopped once they had cover my mouth and nose. I yelled and hollared for help, but my cries were muffled by the shadows holding my mouth and muzzle shut. I also found that I couldn't breath from underneath my shadowy prison. Slowly, I started to succumb to suffocation as I gasped for breath that wouldn't come. It also seemed as if the more I tried to draw breath, the tighter the shadows squeezed, making it even harder to move or squirm._

_I then heard another voice, this one more familiar._

"_You must let go, Jacob."_

_Mother…_

"_Mmher!" I cried out, my voice muffled by my tight, shadowy bonds._

"_Tears do not bring back the dead, my son." She continued, "You must learn to accept what has happened, and move past the pain and the hurt."_

_My eyes started to roll into the back of my head as I continued to suffocate._

_I heard more words spoken, but they became mere murmers as I started to lose conciousness…_

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I jolted awake, sweat coating my fur like a salt-smelling glaze. I breathed in heavily, as if I really had been almost suffocated to death.

This was the fifteenfth this month time I'd had this dream, and I still didn't know why.

And yet, somehow…

I felt as though it was trying to tell me something…

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_Sally's Intro_

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My name is Princess Sally Alicia Acorn, and I am the last remaining member of the Acorn Royal family. I am also the leader of the Resistance against the Robotnik Empire, otherwise known as the Freedom Fighters.

My troubles started when I was only but three years old, when Robotnik turned his sights on my home, Knothole, home of the Acorn kingdom, whom happened to have been major allies with the neighboring Hedgehog kingdom. I watched helplessly as my mother and father were murdered right in front of me, and almost joined them if it hadn't been for Col. Stryker, who is currently one of my second in commands. He got me out of there to safety and acted as a sort of second father to me. Eventually, events took place that led to me becoming the leader of the Freedom fighters.

It was at that point, when I was made aware of the prophecy, as well as that my best agent, and biggest crush, Sonic, was a key part of it.

Since then, I focused most of our missions around getting things ready for the day of the reunion of the three children of Aleena, as well as for the uniting of the Council of Four.

And right now, I was personally embarking on a mission to seize key intel regarding an imperial satellite array that could possibly be utilized as a means to remotely roboticize someone anywhere in the world via satellite.

However, the intel we need lies within the mainframe of the fortress of the Regional bosses of Greenleaf Village, Sherrock and Gren Matoba, AKA 'The Not-So-Super Matoba Bros.', a pair of twin brothers who are two of Julius Robotnik's top mercenaries.

But, luckily, thanks to my friends back at Freedom Fighter HQ, I think I'll be just about fine during this mission.

After all, I am a professional Princess-turned Freedom fighter!

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_Submarine Drydocks_

_Black Skull Fortress_

_56 miles northeast of Robotropolis, 23 miles west of Greenleaf Village_

_That same moment…_

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A 17-year-old mobian girl swam through the bowels of the Jules River, dressed in a skintight diving suit that resembled a mobian seal in design, right down to the tailfin sheath covering her legs. She swam swiftly and silently towards the submarine drydocks that faced the river's mouth facing the Mobodoon bay. Once she reached the very edge of the dock, she leaned against the wall of the dock, then pulled out a foam softball from a side pouch, held it in front of her, then let go of it, letting it slowly float up to the surface. Then, she looked up and watched as a curious guard armed with a CZ805 rifle reached down for the ball. Acting quickly, she then grabbed the guard's arm, pulling him under, then pulled out a tactical knife and stabbed him through his neck. Next, she quickly swam up to the surface, then pulled herself up to the side of the dock, grabbed the guards rifle, then quickly took out the other two guards, all without notifying the rest of the base. Setting the rifle aside, she then pulled her tailbound legs up onto the concrete dock, then popped her oxygen rebreather out of her mouth, breathing in a breath of surface air. Next, she pulled down the zipper on the back of the suit, and slipped herself out of it.

Sally (Yes, I'm jumping the gun and saying that it's Sally. After all, I did just type her intro just earlier. Problem, officer?) then unizipped a backpack she was wearing underneath the diving suit, then pulled out a Walther PPK handgun and loaded an 8-round clip into it, and screwed on a silencer, pulling on the slide shortly after to chamber the first round. Next, she took the 'Seal Suit' and the rebreather and packed them all into the backpack, and pulling out in their place a different set of attire.

It was a cerulean blue skintight jumpsuit, coupled with a utility belt carrying various tools and equipment, as well as a holster for her gun, a tactical communicator headset (TactComm Headset), and, a pair of light blue boots.

She redressed, then, zipped up the bag, slinging it on her back, taking care to also dispose of the dead bodies of the guards she had just killed. Once all of that was done, she then switched on her TactComm Headset and tuned it's frequency to that of HQ.

"Davantry, I'm in." She spoke into it, notifying her contact that she had successfully infiltrated the base, "You locked on me yet?" "Oui, your highness," Said the voice of a young man under nineteen from the other end, "Uploading ze layouts of ze base to your MiniCom(1) as we speak." Sally pulled out a small device that resembled an old 2003's PDA, and turned it on to see the map of the entire complex pop up on the screen. "Cool," Sally said into her TactComm, "Now to make like Vector and, dare I say it, 'Find the computer room!'"

From there, she continued on through the base, being sure not to kill any guard unless there was no other option, until she came upon a room marked 'Computer room 4-C' _Vector probably would have gotten a kick out of this mission._ Sally thought to herself, stifling a giggle. She then slowly opened the door a crack and peered inside. There was but one guard sitting in front of one of the computers inside, thankfully facing away from Sally's direction. Silently, she opened the door the rest of the way, then gently closed it behind her. She then aimed her pistol at the back of the guards head, then fired, killing him instantly. She then ran over to the computer desk and pushed the dead guard out of the chair. Then, cracking her knuckles, she quit out of a video the guard was watching, then inserted a flash drive into the USB port on the computer, then went through file after file until she found what she wanted to find.

'_Imperial Satellite Array, Designate: C.H.A.O.S.'_

"Jenga." Sally muttered triumphantly as she uploaded the file unto the flash drive she brought with her. However, as she sat on the chair watching the upload, she didn't notice a guard slowly and quietly creep in, readying a line of garrotte wire(2). When the upload was at about 73%, the guard suddenly homed in and pulled the wire against Sally's throat, making her gasp and gurgle as she was strangled. She put the four fingers of her left hand underneath the wire as a means to buy herself some time to figure out a way to get this guard off of her. "Thought you could pull one over us, didn't you, Freedom Fighter?" The guard taunted her, watching as her face started to turn blue from asphyxiation, "I've already turned on the silent alarm, so even if you kill me, you'll still be swarmed by over a thousand armed guards." Sally tried to tell him something, but it came out as an incomprehensible gurgle.

"What's that, sweetheart?" The guard asked mockingly.

_**BANG**_!

The guard cried out in pain as he was shot in the knee by his own gun, which Sally managed to grab out of it's holster while he was occupied.

"Got your gun." She said, coughing and sputtering a little.

She then shot the guard three more times in the chest, killing him.

_Honestly not the __first__ time someone's tried to kill me that way… _ Sally thought, rubbing her sore neck. She then checked the download progress on the file, which was now at 87%. "Sally, Have you finished up yet?" Davantry asked on the other line. "It's still at 89%." Sally responded, "I'm gonna need some more time." "Well, time isn't exactly somezink you have right now," Said Davantry, "Zer is multiple hostiles headed right to your position." Sally glanced to the door, then back at the computer screen.

"How many?" She asked.

"About twenty." Davantry answered.

"Can you buy me a little time?"

"I can lock ze door."

"Anything else you can do?"

"Not really, no."

Sally looked at the download progress bar once more.

_Downloading: 90% percent complete_

"Shit…" Sally muttered. She then spied the rifle belonging to the guard that had been sitting at the computer before her. It was an MTAR-21 with an attached ACOG scope, and had a second magazine taped to the one that was currently loaded into it. She grabbed it, pulling on the loading handle to chamber a round. She then grabbed the frag grenades off of both guards that she had killed, and wired all their pins together so that they could be pulled all at once with the flip of a switch, attaching them to a long leather strap that came off of one of the guards' uniforms. Next, she glanced at the computer screen one more time, checking the download progress.

_Downloading: 97% Complete_

"C'mon…" Sally said frantically, glancing at the door every so often.

_Downloading: 98% complete_

"C'mon, dammit…"

_Downloading: 99% Complete_

"C'mon, you stupid, piece of shi-"

_Download complete!_

"**YES**!" Sally exclaimed. She then grabbed the flash drive and stowed it in a pouch on her utility belt. Next, she laid the IED (3) she had made on the body of one of the guards she had killed, then pushed the chair over to the center of the room, then climbed up into one of the vents, scurrying away from the room she had just left, just in time for the door to be breached by one of the guards who happened to have a shotgun on him. As the multitude of guards entered the room, Sally then pressed a button on her Cellphone, detonating the IED, killing almost the entire squad of guards that had went in there to capture her. She continued to climb through the vents until she reached an open hallway. However, her locator app on her minicomm told her that there was a large squad of Eggtroopers blocking her path.

"Hey, Davantry," Sally said into her Tactcomm.

"Oui, madame?" Davantry responded.

"How 'bout playing some music to lighten the mood?"

"… Which playlist?"

"'Battle mix 7'"

"Which song?"

"Surprise me."

She waited for a moment, then all of a sudden, _Bad Reputation_ by Joan Jett started to play through the base's intercomm.

Sally then punched out the vent cover then jumped down, pointing the rifle she stole from the previous soldier, then said,

"… Come get some…"

She then ran towards them, firing a spray of bullets towards the soldiers, killing a few of them, then slid underneath them, and grabbed the HK416 rifle right out of the hands of one of them, then continued to fire both rifles, duel-wielding them like a boss!

Once she was on the other side of the squad, she then discarded the other rifle then ran,through hallways, up stairs, not stopping once until she reached her destination.

Once she was on the roof, she ran towards the edge, but stopped when she heard someone yell;

"Don't move, Freedom Fighter!"

She turned around casually to face her would-be 'captor'

He was Mobian, a bengal tiger in fact, 31 in age, with about the same height as a fully grown human, yellow eyes with a scar going down one of them, bright orange fur with black stripes, a short, blonde military buzzcut, and wore a Robotnik Imperial Officer's uniform with the shirt completely unbuttoned, showing his muscular chest, the sleeves of his shirt rolled up to a little over his elbows, urban camoflage fatigue pants, black combat boots, duel machine gun bandoliers worn around his chest, and was aiming a Desert Eagle pistol at Sally.

He was also backed by over two-hundred armed guards.

Sally smiled, then put her hand on her hip and said, "Well, well, well, isn't this a surprise? I knew that Sherrock would put an idiot like _you_ in charge in his and his brother's absence, Col. Bruiser." "Real cute, Princess," Bruiser scoffed, his brooklyn accent flairing, "But the jig is up. You have nowhere to go, sweetheart!" Sally glanced to the ledge, then back at Bruiser, then smirked and said, "… Wanna bet?" She then ran towards the edge and leapt off.

Surprised, Bruiser ran towards the ledge to see if Sally had fallen, but instead saw her pull a ripcord on her bodysuit, turning it into a wingsuit, allowing her to glide off into the horizon.

After a moment of just standing there and watching the intruder get away, he then said, "Well this can't possibly get any worse."

Of course, contingent with Murphy's Law (4), some of the outer buildings of the base, as well as the two large smokestacks portruding from the roof of the building he was on, exploded, killing pretty much all of Bruiser's backup in the resulting blast.

Now seeing his entire situation for what it now was, he then said, "Well, shit… The boss is gonna be pissed."

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_Freedom Fighter HQ_

_Rosskoe's Junkyard_

_Sometime later…_

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Sally entered the main command room of Freedom Fighter HQ, happily tossing the flash drive with the data on the satellite array in the air as she walked.

She was greeted by a few individuals, who were all happy to see that her mission was successful.

The first was a mobian German Sheperd dog, 62 in age, who was also an example of a 'tall' mobian, with brown fur and black markings, blue eyes with an eyepatch covering the left eye due to a gun-related injury he sustained during Robotnik's coup, short grey hair that was done in a crewcut, and wore a blue Mobodoon Royal Guard blue camoflage fatigues, black military boots, and had a Colt Python with an attached optical scope and laser sight held in a holster on his right thigh.

The second was a mobian tabby cat, 19, with bright orange fur and dark yellow markings, green eyes, short black hair that was parted down the middle, and wore a white 'French Ressistance' Band T-shirt coupled with a pair of blue jeans, cheap sneakers, and also had braces on his teeth. He sat at a computer console to Sally's immediate right of the entrance.

And finally, the third. He was a human, about 36 in age, with light skin, walnut brown hair that was medium length and messy and had a navy blue bandana worn around it much like Solid Snake's, brown eyes, scars on his face that went down his left eye, across the bridge of his nose, and two on his right cheek that formed an X. He wore a tan tactical vest underneath an olive drab trenchcoat that had shotgun shell holders on the right sleeve, and had an emblem printed on the back depicting a demonic skull with lightning bolts criss-crossing underneath it, Vietnam War-era tiger stripe camoflage pants, steel-toed combat boots, black fingerless gloves with brass studs on the knuckles, and had a Taurus Raging Bull revolver held in a holster on his right thigh, as well as a pair of Colt M1911s in shoulder holsters worn underneath his trenchcoat. He sat upon a couch that was part of a meeting area, fitting a muzzle break to a captured MTAR-21 rifle.

"Good to see you're alright, Sally." Said the dog. "Thanks, Stryker," Sally happily replied, "But I told you guys earlier that I'd be alright." "Hey, Sally!" The cat cut in suddenly, "So? What did you zink of the 'Seel Suit' I made you?" Sally opened up her backpack and threw the aforementioned full-body diving suit on the floor in front of him. "I swam like a fish, Davantry," She answered with a smile, "And don't even get me started on the wicked-cool wingsuit/catsuit hybrid you gave me!" Davantry smiled, then took a bow, saying, "Always a pleasure to make you such tres bien gadgets!" Sally giggled, then said, "Well thank you. That's sweet of you." "So," Said Stryker, wanting to get back to buisiness, "Did you get the file?" Sally then walked up to the huge computer console in the front of the room, then plugged the flash drive into one of the many USB ports on the console, then watched as the huge screen was overtaken by a multitude of files and documents. "We have everything we need to take down that array." She said, "Not only that, but we also have an idea as to some of Julius' other projects, such as something called 'Project: Surrogate' which whatever that is, we may want to take a look at it." She then yawned, then said, "Well, It's pretty late. I think I'll go ahead and hit the hay for tonight." "Very well," Said Stryker, who then turned to the human and said, "Commander Clash, would you mind escorting Sally to her quarters?" Clash nodded, then loaded a magazine into the customized rifle, then slung it under his shoulder and said, "Right this way, kid." The two then walked through the halls of the Freedom Fighter base until they reached a door that read 'Sally's room' Sally then opened the door and walked in, accompanied by Clash (With her permission, of course.).

It was a pretty big room, one big enough for a princess, who was in fact it's occupant! The walls were painted a lavender purple, there was a huge, four post bed with clear, pink silk curtains running around it that could be pulled around for 'privacy', a computer desk next to the west wall with a very expensive-looking desktop computer that sported a bright violet paint job on it, a long, pink velvet couch facing away from the door of the bathroom, a small drawer table made of mahagony that sat in front of the couch, bearing a small, flatscreen TV upon it, as well as an Xbox 720 and a Nintega WiiU Neptune, a stereo system set up at the east wall, next to the door of the bathroom, a beautifully crafted dresser made of ebony wood and painted violet that had an ihome on the tope of it, a vanity in the northwest corner made of the same material as the dresser, a fishtank sitting upon a mahagony stand sitting in the southwest corner with various fish inside it, as well as some pretty decorations inside it for the fish to swim around, a screen running alongside the dresser and going towards the right side of the bathroom door, a beautiful brass lamp sitting on a bedside table on the right side of the bed, and posters of various varieties decorating the walls.

Sally stretched and yawned, then walked behind the screen and started to undress, while Clash sat on the couch, holding his customized rifle in his lap. "You don't mind if I smoke, do you?" He asked. Sally shook her head. "I'd rather you didn't," She answered, slipping off her catsuit, "At least not in my room." She then slipped into a violet silk nightgown, then sat on her bed, fidgeting with a locket that her mother gave her when she was two years old.

"So, Clash…" Said Sally.

"'Sup." Clash responded, looking down the Hybrid sight he attached to the rifle.

"I heard that the reunion's gonna happen pretty soon."

"Your point?"

"Well, since they're about to meet up with each other, pretty soon we'll be able to help them locate their mother, and then before long, they'll form the Council of Four, and we'll be able to send Julius Robotnik packing!"

"Yeah, assuming that the kids can all get along, of course."

Sally looked up to Clash, perking her ears in curiousity.

"What do you mean by that, Clash?" She asked.

"I mean," Clash answered, setting the rifle down on his lap again, "That you're being slightly unrealistic. They're not gonna just meet up and instantly become loving siblings, no, they're probably gonna wonder who the hell each other is. Plus, y'know, there's also the possibility that one or all of them will end up arguing with the other."

"Don't you even _believe_ in the legends?" Sally asked, pursing her lips.

Clash shrugged. "I do," He replied, "It's just that you're believing in an old 'fairy tale' ending for this situation. Realistically, when they meet up with each other, it's gonna take a _long_ time before they're ready to take on Robotnik. They're gonna need time to train, bond, and develop their relationship with one another. Basically, if you want that big old 'storybook ending' you so childishly desire, you're gonna have to wait a _long_ time, 'cause real life doesn't always work the way you want it to."

He then pulled on the loading handle of the rifle, then stood up. "Well, I'm gonna go hit the hay as well," he said, slinging the rifle over his back, "I'll see you sometime in the morning, Sal." Sally nodded. "'Kay." She said, "Goodnight!" Clash nodded with a smile, then said, "Goodnight, kiddo." He then walked out, shutting the door behind him as he did so. Sally looked down at her locket necklace, holding the pendant in her fingers.

It was made entirely of gold, and had an elaborate design engraved upon it. There was also a bright, blue heart-shaped sapphire imbedded on the front of it.

Now, since she was a child, and even today, she could never _once_ open the locket. She could only guess as to what it's contents were.

She sighed, then turned off the lamp, pulled the covers over her and laid on her right side, staring at the wall next to the bed.

_Someday, mother…_ she thought, _someday, I'll learn why you gave me this locket, and why I can never get it open._ She yawned, then drifted off into peaceful slumber.

She slept so soundly, in fact, that she didn't notice her pendant glow luminously for a brief moment.

_To be continued…_

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_(1) Mini Computer_

_(2) A french-made execution weapon used to kill via strangulation. If you've seen any James Bond movies, then you've probably seen one of these a time or two._

_(3) Improvised Explosive Device (IED)_

_(4) Basically, if something __can__ go wrong, it probably will._


	3. Chapter 3: Fate

**Sonic Underground: The Search for Aleena**

**The ratings and disclaimers from the previous chapter also apply to this chapter and all subsequent chapters.**

**Reader Descretion is Advised.**

**Chapter Three: Fate**

_Locke Hill, Aristocratic District_

_The next day…_

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"'Cocooned in shadows?'" Dann asked rudely after listening to Jake tell him about his dream, "What, do you have a bondage fetish or something?" "What? No! Get your mind out of the gutter!" Jake responded defensively, "I have no idea why it happened that way this time. I mean, each time it usually happens a little differently; two nights ago it had me in an ancient temple of some kind with inscriptions on the walls that looked like mine, Sonic and Sonia's medallions, plus like, two others. One was a drum, and the other was a heart, and these were all inscribed on the stone walls leading further into the temple. Once I reach a certain chamber, I saw my mother floating a a foot in the air, being helplessly mummified alive by some kind of wizard dude or something, I dunno, he was like a mobian toucan or something, with like a huge wart on his left cheek, wearing robes looking like that of Emperor Ming from the Flash Gordon movie we watched a few days ago, and had like, this headdress that looked like it came straight out of Temple of Doom. As the final bandages wrapped overtop my mother's hair, leaving only her eyes open, he then placed her in a stone sarcofigus to his right, and then like, I ended up trying to sword fight him, but then I sort of lost, then ended up being mummified as well, then placed in a sarcofigus next to hers. And then… He dumped a bucket filled with snakes all over me, then put the lid over my coffin, locking me in with those… Things…" Jake started to tremble at the thought of being covered in snakes, his breaths becoming short and shallow.

"Dude, chill out," Dann said suddenly, "Just take deep breaths." Jake did so, then quickly regained his composure as they walked down the block of mansions. Eventually, they reached that of Madame Felicity Feline.

Dann raised an eyebrow. "You're going here?" He asked. Jake nodded, smiling. "I've got a date with my fiance!" He happily replied. "This soon?" Dann asked, "By Aurora, this fic is moving by fast."

"What was that?"

"Um, n-nothing!"

"Well, whatever," Jake then then fist bumped Dann, both of whom did a peace sign immediately after.

"Peace." Said Jake.

"And out." Dann replied.

Dann then walked further down the block, while Jake walked up the walkway to Madame Feline's front door. Once there, he pressed the doorbell button, then waited a few minutes. Before long, he was greeted by the woman who had raised Sonia since she was an infant.

She was a mobian cat, about forty-seven or so, but still had her beauty despite her age, with light brown fur, blue eyes that looked like something out of a centerfold, long blonde hair that was kept in a long ponytail that reach down to the backs of her ankles, bright purple lipstick coupled with blush and eyeshadow, and wore a long-assed day dress that looked formal, beautiful, and looked as though she were going to attend a goddamned tea party.

"Why, Jacob, what a surprise," She said, another example of a posh british accent in her voice, "What brings you here?" "I'm here to go on a date with your daughter, Sonia, Madame Felicity." Jake replied, "Is she home?" "Why yes, of course she is." Felicity answered, "She's in the parlor practicing her piano." "Oh, well I-"

Jake stopped for a moment when he realized what Felicity had said.

"… Wait, she plays _piano_?!" He exclaimed.

"Why yes, she does." Felicity replied, "There's no need to be all hyper like that." "Oh, sorry," Jake apologized, "I just didn't know is all." He then walked over to the parlor, and stopped in the doorway and listened to Sonia play the piano number from Billy Joel's "_New York State of Mind"_

He listened all the way through as Sonia hummed the lyrics to it while she played. As he listened, he realized that she would be the perfect candidate for his band's new keyboardist. _Yeah, she'd be perfect!_ He thought, _With her piano skills under our belt, we'd be the most raddest band on the face of the planet! Of course, we'd still need a drummer, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it._

Once the song reached it's end, Jake clapped, despite Sonia not noticing him enter the room. Sonia jumped in her seat, then turned in Jake's direction, surprised that he had been there the whole time.

"Oh! Jake!" She said with a yelp, "You startled me. How long were you standing there?" "Long enough, and sorry, by the way." He responded, a sweet smile on his face, "You're pretty good at piano." "Oh, well thanks, I guess." Said Sonia, blushing a little. "So, you ready to go?" Jake asked. "Yeah, just wait here for a moment," Sonia replied, "I need to change into some more 'casual' clothes." She then walked upstairs to her room, closing the door behind her. Jake sat down upon an armchair in the room, surprised at how comfy it was to sit in, his heart feeling as though there were butterflies flying around inside his ribcage, softly tickling it with their wings as they fluttered around.

In short, he was head-over-heels in love with Sonia.

So much so, that he randomly burst into song, as if this were a goddamned musical.

Here's what he sang…

"_And I would do anything for love,_

_I would run right into hell and back._

_I would do anything for love,_

_I would never lie to you and that's a fact!_

_But I'll never forget the way you feel right now, no no,_

_No way._

_And I would do anything for love,_

_But I won't do that… (Refers to marrying her under his aunt's terms)_

_No, I won't do that…_

_I would do anything for love,_

_I would do anything for love,_

_But I won't do that… (Refers to marrying her just for money)_

_No I won't do that!"_

(Also, don't think for a minute that this will be the only time this happens, lovelies. There's plenty more of this to come! But, for now, let's move things along, shall we?)

Suddenly, Jake heard the doorbell ring once again.

He looked to the foyer in the other room, then watched Felicity walk over to the door and open it, greeting yet another 'unexpected guest'

He was a lizaldian (1) velociraptor man, looked to be very youthful in age, possible about twenty-nine or so, with dark, forest green scales, yellow reptilian eyes with narrow slit pupils, darker green spines going down the back of his head that resembled hair that had been slicked back, velociraptor-like feet with the talon claw toe curled up, a long, snake-like tail trailing behind him, and wore a deep red dress shirt with a white clavet underneath a long dark crimson coat with bright red non-mobian fox fur lining the collar, waist and sleeve hems, and and these black trousers that stopped a little over his ankles, allowing his raptor-feet to move freely.

Yeah, that's right! This guy ain't wearing shoes of any kind!

Not that it matters. I mean, half of these characters hardly wear clothes as it is!

But, before I go into a rant about that, let's continued the story!

"Lord Scales?" Said Madame Felicity, slightly shocked at this person's sudden arrival.

"Madame Felicity…" Scales hissed, literally sounding out the 's' sounds in Felicity's name with a reptilian hiss (Also, yes, he too has a british accent, but try to imagine his sounding like that of David Tennant's. You know, the guy who played the Tenth Doctor on Doctor Who? J-just do it. Seriously, it'd make all of us happy…), "You're looking absolutely lovely today. Is that a new dress?" Felicity looked down at her dress, then back at Scales, blushing and replied, "Wh-why yes! Madame Prowess' daughter made it for me as a gift." "Really now?" He looked it over, then asked, "May I come in?" "Oh, yes of course." Felicity then held her hand daintly to the side of her mouth and called, "Mella! Would you mind coming in here for a second?"

As if on command, a mobian jackrabbit girl entered the foyer from the hallway leading to the kitchen.

She was about eighteen years old, a year older than Jake, with pale, butter yellow fur, green eyes, freckles, long brown hair that draped down her shoulders and back with her long ears poking out the top, and wore a short, dark indigo dress with a wide, ruffled skirt and pettycoats underneath, puffy sleeves, and a wide, silk bow tied around the waist, pale pink tights worn underneath her dress, long, silk opera gloves that matched the color of the tights, a pair of black high-heels, and a black leather collar around her neck with a brass tag attached to the front of it, bearing Madame Felicity's family name engraved upon it, much like that of a pet dog or cat.

Now, just for the sake of the background of this dark, cruel version of Mobian society, Mella's real name was Melliana Rosebud, and she was born in one of the many slums of Robotropolis, which were known as the 'Underground' Districts, to her mother, Rosalina, and her father, Tarrin, who was later arrested and roboticized after a violent spat with an Imperial policeman. She had an older brother, Rival, whom usually went by the street name of 'Jazz' and left after becoming a member of the Chaotix, an Elite branch of the Freedom Fighters, and a younger sister, June, who died one fateful Autumn of pneumonia. Her family was a clear example of how Robotnik's 'Social Favoritism' was affecting people who weren't as fortunate as those of the working, middle and aristocratic classes. She, and her mother, since they couldn't pay their rent one one fateful month, were forced to be sold into servitude to families of a higher class, her to Madame Feline, and her mother to a brothel downtown.

In short, she was a slave.

And Felicity, as well as many other aristocrats like her, were completely ignorant and oblivious to the circumstances that led Melliana, and others like her, to becoming nothing more than property.

(Wow… This has to be by far one of the most darkest things I've ever written… Anywho…)

"Yes, Madame Felicity?" Mella answered, her face showing subtle signs of uncertainty.

"Would you mind taking Lord Scales' coat, then whipping up some tea for us?" Felicity asked. Mella nodded. "Yes, ma'am." She responded obediantly. She then helped remove Scales' long coat, then hang it on the coat rack near the door. After that, she went straight to the kitchen, immediately starting on the tea. Scales and Felicity, on the other hand, walked into the parlor and sat at a tea table in the middle of it, not noticing Jake, who was still standing there next to the doorway. Curious, he silently hid on the other side of the doorway and listened as the two 'friends' had their conversation over tea.

"So, what reason brings you to my doorstep, Scales?" Felicity asked, still a little surprised by Scales' sudden visit. Scales smiled a gentle, dinosaur fang-filled smile, then simply said, "Must I have a reason to visit an old friend of mine?"

Just after he said that, Mella came in with a silver tray with a teapot and two tea cups, as well as a sugar bowl filled with sugar cubes, and a small pitcher filled with milk, then gently placed it on the middle of the table, being sure not to have spilled anything. "Oh, thank you, Mella." Said Felicity. Mella simply nodded, then asked, "M-might I get you anything else, Mistress?" Felicity simply shook her hand dismissively, then said, "Oh, no, not at all-" "Actually," Scales interrupted, "It would be nice if you could fetch me an apple, if you have any, of course." Mella nodded, then replied, "Yes sir, Lord Scales." She then left the room for a moment, going into the kitchen, then opened up the fruit fridge, then got out a red delicious apple, then brought it back to Scales, but nearly tripped on his tail. Feeling this happen, Scales shot her a look, then grabbed the hand of hers that held the apple, then softly said, "Watch it, _pet_, or you'll be tripping on the steps to the roboticizer." Mella looked at him, horrified at the thought of being sent to that dreaded machine, her eyes wide with silent terror. However, after saying that, Scales simply smiled, then gentle plucked the apple from Mella's grasp, then let go of her wrist. Mella walked out of the room, rubbing her sore wrist from where Scales' claws dug into her skin.

Jake glared in Scales' direction.

'_Pet__' _was a derogatory term used when referring to mobian slaves. It originated from how they were made to always wear collars around their necks, much like pet dogs or cats, and was a slur that sort of stuck for the longest time throughout the rule of both Ivo and Julius Robotnik.

And Scales smiled right after he he uttered that horrible word, like he was proud of himself for saying it.

Besides that, there was something else about Scales that didn't quite sit right with Jake.

Something he couldn't quite place…

Almost as if…

"Hey."

Jake jumped nearly a foot when he heard Sonia address him.

He turned and saw her in by far the most appealing 'casual' outfit he'd seen on any girl ever.

It was a deep red top with long black sleeves, coupled with these matching long vinyl opera gloves that reached a little over her elbows, a short, ruffled skirt that was also deep red, some shiny metallic black tights, and a pair of deep red and yellow boots. Also, she had her hair styled the way it usually was, which was a long, bushy spike going down the front towards the right (2).

Jake simply stared, blushing, his jaw dropped, and slightly aroused.

"Are you ready to go?" Sonia asked.

Still new to the feeling of true love, Jake only managed to get out;

"Buhhhh…"

On top of it all, Scales and Felicity turned to see the two standing there in the doorway, finally alerted to their presence. "Oh, thought you two had left already." Said Felicity. Scales then stood up and walked over to Sonia, towering over her as if he was a giant dragon coming to snatch her away. As he walked towards her, Sonia quickly hid her medallion underneath her top. Jake noticed this, but decided to hold off on asking for a moment. "So," Said Scales, "This is that daughter of yours that you've told me about often at our little 'socials' is she not, Felicity?" "Oh, ah yes! Yes she is!" Felicity sprang up and walked over right next to Sonia, then introduced, "Um, this is Sonia. I sort of adopted her when she was an infant." Scales looked down at her, his eyes scanning her, as if he was trying to see if he recognized her. "Sonia…" He said, placing a claw-finger on his chin, "I feel like I've heard that name once before…"

As soon as Jake heard Scales say this, he noticed immediately that Felicity's behavior had changed, going from her normal, posh self…

To being panicky…

Hesitant…

Dodgey…

Almost as if she was trying to hide something…

"Well, I'm sure it's a common name for an aristocratic girl," Felicity reassured him, "Much like, 'Amy' or 'Gracie' or-" "'Aleena?'" Scales added. Felicity looked at him, trying to mask her worried expression, gulping only once. Scales then smiled, then said, "I'm sure I'm probably thinking of someone else." "Y-yes! That must be it!" Felicity said, breathing a sigh of relief when she was sure Scales wasn't looking, as his gaze then turned to Jake, his expression quickly changing from cheery to stoic. "You…" He said, his tone serious, "You must be Rosemary Prower's child, am I correct?"

Jake remained silent, scowling at Scales.

Scales narrowed his gaze.

"It's rather rude to ignore someone when they ask you a question…" He said.

Jake glanced over at Sonia for a moment, who looked as though she was worried Jake would do something he would later regret.

He then turned his gaze back at Scales and nodded.

"… Yeah." He said.

Scales crouched slightly, lowering his gaze to Jake's level, then said, "I see the resemblance. You have her eyes, as well as her defiance. I'd watch who I looked at like that if I were you, especially if that person happens to be a Regional Boss of a given area, otherwise, you might find yourself glaring at the inside walls of the roboticizer chamber. Do I make myself clear?"

Jake nodded again, then said, "Yeah."

Sonia then tugged on the wrist of his right glove, then mouthed the word, "c'mon." taking a hint, he and Sonia both left, going on to their date as planned whilst Scales and Felicity have their chat.

"Now then…" Said Scales, returning to his seat as Felicity followed suit, "Where were we?"

"Um…" Felicity began, but Scales interrupted as he finished his thought.

"Ah, yes, my reason for being here. Well, see…" He gave a gentle smile, then said, "I have a bit of a 'proposal' for you, Ms. Felicity."

A look of curiousity overtook Felicity's face.

"A 'proposal?'" She said, "Praytell. What sort of proposal?"

Scales gave a short chuckle, then replied, "Well, while it may not be a 'buisiness' related proposal…"

He reached into his pocket, then pulled out a small, dark green velvet box, then knelt down at Felicity's side. Next, he slowly opened it, revealing an illustrious gold ring with a large green emerald encrusted on the front of it.

"… I'd assume that it's a proposal worth talking about, am I right?" He finished.

Felicity's eyes went as wide as her best china dinnerplates that she only used for special occasions as she gasped in awe.

"… Is…" She managed to get out, "… Is it…"

"'A 24 Karat gold band with a perfectly cut green emerald.'" Scales finished, "Beautiful, isn't it?"

Felicity eyed the gem-encrusted ring hungrily, looking as though she was considering Scales' proposal.

"… Why…" Felicity stammered, "… Why Scales… This is so sudden… I-I don't know if… If I…" "You don't have to answer right away," Scales reassured her, "You can sleep on it if you wish. Just make sure you have an answer by the time I come to your daughter's birthday party tomorrow night. Does that sound to your liking?" Felicity nodded, still mezmorized by the beautiful wedding band Scales presented her. Scales then stood back up and closed the small box, placed it back in his pocket, then picked up his apple and took a large bite out of it, his dinosaur-like teeth leaving a huge gap in the side of the apple where he bit into it. "Now then," He said, "While I'd like to stay and chat some more, there's somewhere I need to be right now." He then took Felicity's left hand and planted a kiss on the back of it, making her blush. "Oh, my," Said Felicity, highly flattered, "Scales, you charmer, you!" Scales smiled, then retorted with, "Always my pleasure, Madame Felicity." He then walked out of the parlor, then collected his coat and put it back on, then walked out the front door, where a flying limo lay parked out in front of the large manor. When he walked up to it, the back passenger door opened, gullwing style, then he climbed inside, closing the door behind him, fastening his seatbelt short,y after. The limo then took off, flying only a few feet off the ground.

"Did she accept your proposal, sir?" The driver asked, making small talk. "Oh, she will." Scales answered, "Don't worry about that." _Still, though… _He thought, _That Sonia girl… Why does she sound so familiar… _ His reptilian eyes went wide with realization. _Could… Could she be…_ He frowned concerningly as he continued to think. _No, she has to be. She looks __exactly__ the same as Queen Aleena's daughter, Sonia. The only proof I'd need that it's her would be to see that medallion that was worn around that tiny babe's neck._

He drummed his claws on the arm rest on the door.

"Driver," He said, "Take me to Emperor Robotnik's palace. I need to have a word with him…"

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_Primrose Café_

_Weatherly Hills Shopping district_

_Locke Hill Aristocratic Community_

_A few minutes later…_

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"So, you like coming here too?" Jake asked, surprised that Sonia was a regular at the very same café he happened to like a lot. She nodded, then said, "They have the sweetest strawberry smoothies, as well as some good milkshakes, too. And plus, it's within immediate walking distance to the beauty salon _and_ the H&M Store!" Jake looked across the street to where Sonia had pointed, and sure enough, both installments were in fact in the immediate area. "So they are…" He said. Just then, a waitress came over and placed their orders right in front of them.

Sonia had ordered a strawberry and bannana smoothie, while Jake had ordered a chocolate and peanut butter milkshake. Jake then plucked the cherry off of the top of the whipped cream topping his milkshake, then offered it to Sonia, who happily popped it in her mouth, smiling while she did so (3).

"So, I wanted to ask earlier," Jake began, "Why did you hide your medallion when Scales came over to you? And why have you kept it hidden since?" Sonia swallowed the cherry, then answered, her face somewhat serious. "Well," She explained, "You see, for the longest time, Ms. Feline always told me to keep my medallion hidden whenever I went out in public, or whenever we had guests, and to never show it to anyone unless I knew for a fact that I could trust them." "Like me?" Jake asked. Sonia nodded. "I feel like I could tell my most deepest and darkest of secrets to you and you wouldn't tell a soul." "Could you tell me one right now?" Jake asked, "'Cause if you do, I'll tell you one of mine." Sonia glanced around the café to see if anyone was listening, then once she saw that the coast was clear, she leaned over to Jake's left ear and whispered, "I'm very, very afraid of bugs and jellyfish." Upon hearing it, Jake raised an eyebrow and softly asked, "Why jellyfish?" "I had nasty run in with one when I went to the beach when I was fourteen. An old friend of my mother's took me scuba diving, and we were exploring a beautiful shipwreck. I asked him if I could check out a coral reef I saw on the way, and he said yes, but to also make sure that I stayed where he could see me.

"However, on the way, I accidentally swam face-first into a small field of jellyfish. At first, I thought I had been stung by only one, but suddenly I opened my eyes and saw that I was completely surrounded by these creatures. I tried to swim out, but every time I was met by rows of brightly colored, stinging tentacles. The more I tried to escape, the more I got stung, and before long, I was tangled in a forest of jellyfish tentacles, stinging my entire body swollen. Eventually, I had been stung so much that I passed out.

"I woke up much later on my mom's friend's bed, swollen and covered in bandages. I ended up having to stay there a few extra days as to spare me the embarassment of walking around looking like a bloody, pus-filled sore-covered mummy."

"Wow…" Jake said finally, "Rough." "So, what kind of secrets do _you_ have, Jake?" Sonia asked, resting her head on the table with her hands. Jake sighed, then leaned over to Sonia's ear and whispered, "I'm deathly afraid of snakes, and I once had to model for my cousin Gracie's summer line of clothing." Sonia nodded her head in interest, then responded with, "Can easily understand about the snake thing, as they are horrible, slimy, _disgusting_ creatures (Just then, a mobian snake woman, whom happened to be passing by them just as she had said that, scoffed, then said, "Well, I never!" then stuck her head up in disgust and slithered away.), but would you mind elaborating on the modeling bit?" Jake winced, then looked around to see if anyone was listening just as Sonia did, then explained.

"When I was fifteen, Gracie was designing a bunch of dresses, swimsuits and stuff for a summer line she was making for her new 'Boutique' that she had just opened up, and she needed someone to model them for her. However, seeing as I was the only one around who could fit into any of the garments she had made, she forced me to model for her. For hours I stood in front of her, wearing dress after dress, bikini after bikini as she took picture after picture, claiming she would edit the photos to make me look like an actual girl and thereby protect my identity. It was easily one of the most degrading moments in my entire life, and it has never once left my lips to anyone."

"I see, I see." Sonia responded, "So, here's another question deserving of an honest answer; If we ever went shopping together, would you try on stuff for me?" "Uhhmmm…" Jake began, but thought long and hard about what to say before he said it, then said, "As long as I never had to leave the changing booth, but I would do it for you in a heartbeat." "Well, that's sweet of you." Said Sonia, blushing a little, "Say, would you like to hit up this beauty salon and spa down the street after this? I'm a regular there, so I could easily get us both a discount if I told them you were my new fiance." "S-sure, I guess." Jake quickly replied. The two then finished their milkshakes, paid, then walked down the street to the salon and spa that Sonia mentioned.

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_Roboticization station 12_

_22__nd__ street, Robotropolis_

_That very same moment…_

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A prisoner transport cruiser pulled up to the entrance of the roboticization station, greeted by a couple of armed guards. The back of the cruiser opened, allowing a couple prisoners to get off, heavily monitored by the soldiers accompanying them. However, among these prisoners was a certain individual with a thirst for danger.

He was a mobian jackrabbit, about nineteen or so in age, with bright, emerald green fur, green eyes, and wore a bright red bandana around his head, as well as a grey tanktop and some jeans. His hands were bound with a pair of binders, and he seemed so suspiciously acceptant of his capture…

Almost like he had been through this before…

He was then ushered over to a desk where he was to give his name and ID number.

"Name?" The clerk asked.

The jackrabbit smirked, then replied,

"Rival. Rival Rosebud."

The clerk looked to him, then asked, "You wouldn't happen to have a mother named Rosalina, would you?"

"And a father named Tarrin," Rival answered, "And a sister named Melliana. Your point?"

"I think I might have had sex with her at this brothel I went to once." The clerk replied.

"Really now?" Rival asked, his ears perking up with interest, "Care to tell me the name of it?"

The clerk looked at him, his eyes narrowing, then said, "Keep the line moving, undergrounder."

"Sure you don't wanna tell me?" Rival asked, his eyes narrowing suggestively, "'Cause I don't mind a little 'milf-based incest'" He was then poked in the back by a the barrel of a nearby guard's rifle. "Keep moving, undergrounder!" The guard yelled. "Alright, alright, jeez!" Rival replied, "No need to be so pushy. I mean, I know it's your job, but for Aurora's sake, could you not fucking poke me with your big-assed rifle or whatever?" The guard then pushed him forward, using the rifle almost like a two-handed nightstick. "Alright, I'm going!" Rival yelled, "God, fucking imperial assholes! Don't you whitemeats have better things to do? Like maybe kissing Robotnik's bo-Mmmhhhh!" He was then finally silenced by another guard slipping a muzzle over his mouth, locking it shut until he was ready to be roboticized. "Urrgh, finally!" Said the immediate guard escorting him, "Some peace."

As they went down the hall, Rival took note of where each holding cell was, as well as their occupant, and was also sure to take note of where the armory was, and what kind of lock was on the door, which in this case, was a simple card-key locking mechanism. Suddenly, he and his escort came upon a guard, who happened to be a familiar mobian alligator wearing his standard issue hat over his face, coupled with a clever black hair wig, making out with a female guard, who was a mobian jaguar with pale pink hair and purple eyes.

"Hey, get out of the way, you two." The guard instructed. The alligator then turned to him and snapped, "Hey, do you mind? Me and my girl here are tryin' to make out!" The guard then narrowed his gaze, as if to get a better look at the 'guards' in front of him.

"State your names and ranks." The guard instructed solemnly.

"How about this?" The alligator responded, "How 'bout we skip the names, and my friend that you're escorting, whom you've just stopped paying attention to, I might add, kicks you in the dong?"

"What do you me-**AUUUUGGHHHEERGGHEE**!"

Rival then proceeded to kicking the guard square in his testicles, causing him to fall over. The alligator then grabbed the guard's keys, using them to unlock Rival's binders and his muzzle.

"Took you fucking long enough, Vector." Said Rival, "I almost thought I would actually get roboticized this time!" "Hey, admittedly Jazz," Vector responded, "It took me a little longer than I thought it would, plus we had to find guards whose uniforms we knew would fit me and Holly here, and not only that…" Vector pulled out a familiar card key from the left pocket on the uniform. "…. But we also had to get this." Jazz grabbed it out of Vector's hand, knowing immediately what it went to, then lead him and Holly over to the armory, then slid the card through the slot, and threw open the door. His eyes went wide with pure, unadulterated joy.

Every wall in the room was lined with weapons of various assortments, classes and calibers, as well as ammunition for each and every single one of them. Immediately, Jazz went straight for the one M60 machine gun laying on a rack on the left wall, then loaded a belt into it, then slipped two more belts around his chest in a criss-cross fashion. Vector on the other hand, grabbed an AK-12 assualt rifle, as well as an RPG, and three extra rockets for it, and Holly grabbed a Vektor CRB SMG with an attached tracker sight and foregrip.

"Ready?" Vector asked taking off the wig and hat and slipping on some triangle shades.

Jazz simply smirked, then pulled on the loading handle of the M60 and said,

"Let's do it to it, bitches."

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_Gentle Paws Salon and Spa_

_Weatherly Hills Shopping district_

_Locke Hill Aristocratic community_

_A little bit later…_

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"See? Didn't I tell you it was worth it?" Sonia asked, whilst laying on a louge chair as she had her nails filed by one spa attendant, whilst having her hair shampooed by another and her toenails painted by a third.

"I'm starting to see you were right," Jake replied as he had his hair shampooed by one attendant, while another shampooed his tail, "It's like they're washing all my troubles away."

Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he finally noticed this one particular customer off to the far right.

He was a mobian wolf, looked to be almost in his late twenties, like almost borderline thirty, with grayish-blue colored fur, and yellow wolf eyes, and was laying on a lounge chair, sipping a soda he bought from a vending machine in the lounge, subtly staring at Sonia, which he looked as though he had been doing the entire time, whilst an attendant filed his toenails.

"Say," Jake asked, Sonia, nudging her elbow, and directing her attention to the stranger gawking at her "Who's that guy over there?" Sonia glanced at the wolf for a moment, then replied, "I dunno. All I know is that he's a regular here, and he's been going for quite a while, most likely after I started coming here. I think he might be a pervert." Jake shot a subtle glare at the wolf, then said, "Well, all I know is that he'd better not try anything funny, or I'll seriously kick his ass."

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Sleet took another sip of his drink, then sat it back on the table next to his lounge chair. "Alright," He said to the attendant, his voice slightly raspy-sounding, "That's probably enough. On to the polish." The attendant then put away the filer, then got out a case filled with various colors of nail polish. He then pointed to one that was a shade of dark violet labeled 'Nocturnal Purple' "That one," He said, "That's the one I wanted to get the other day I was here." The attendant then got it out then started painting his toenails.

_Still, though… That girl…_ He thought, _There's something about her that I can't quite place… Almost as if she's… Familiar somehow…_

"Do you want your fingernails painted too, sir?" The attendant asked, snapping Sleet out of his train of thought.

"Oh, yes please!" Sleet answered, "Same shade as the toenails, actually. Not that it matters, though. They'll still be covered by these…" He then pulled out a robotic-looking armored glove and slipped it over his right hand, then pressed a button on the wrist, making it lock in place. "I know," He said, assuming the attendant was listening, "Looks real, doesn't it? It's actually a special type of armor made of a super-strong alloy. It sort of came with the rest of my body armor, which I always wear when I'm out bounty-hunting. I got it back when I became a member of this super-secret underground clan of bounty hunters and assassins known as the 'Lunar Wolves' but I digress…"

He then pressed the button on the wrist of the armored glove, unlocking it, then pulled it off of his hand.

"Enough about me…" He said, "Paint away, my dear. Make me pretty."

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_Urban Brotherhood hideout_

_2212 Ervin Street_

_Downtown Mobotropolis_

_A little bit later…_

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_Manic's POV_

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The mind of a thief is usually pretty mentally linear.

You see something pretty or expensive, you steal it. No questions asked.

However, in most cases it's easier said than done.

Sometimes, there'll be some kind of super-tricky lock or a high-tech burglar alarm or even a big-assed rottweiler guarding it, seperating you from the shiny treasure within.

But thankfully, the mind of a thief is also a clever, sneaky, and sly one.

Locks can be picked.

Alarms can be disarmed.

And rottweilers can be distracted with a Milkbone.

Rule Number 5 of the Thieve's code: '_Never steal anything without a plan'_

Thief King Lars taught me that years ago, as well as the rest of the thieves code.

It's basically the rules we tend to live by in our day to day lives.

To break even one is just dishonorable, and bro, that's no good.

…

I feel strange for saying that last part.

Anywho, today, I was hanging out in my room, tapping on my desk with these sweet new drumsticks I found in the hall closet. I'm guessing that those were one of my birthday presents, but you know me…

Literally the 'Prince of Thieves'

"I see you found your birthday present from Thief King Lars."

I turned to the direction of the speaker to see my caretaker, Taskmaster Bakura.

He was Overlander, but he was cool in my book. He had this long black hair that went past his shoulders and hung down his back, and like had green eyes, light skin, and was pretty tall for his age of 22.

I smirked, then responded with, "Well, you know me… heheh…"

"Well, regardless," Said Bakura, obviously cutting right to the chase, "I have an assignment for you." I put away the drumsticks, then turned my seat in his direction. "What do ya want me to steal this time, boss?" I asked him. He simply handed me a slip of paper with an address written on it. It read:

_782, South, McCalaster street_

_Raudeway Village_

There was also something written on the back.

"_All that glitters isn't gold. Oftentimes, the most valuable items don't sparkle or glisten."_

"A riddle?" I asked. He nodded. "If you remember your training," Bakura told me, "You'll know what it means." He then handed me my thieves's tool pouch, then said, "You will be paired with Millie tonight, seeing as how you two tend to work together so well."

I nodded. "Aigh't, cool."

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_782, South, McCalaster street_

_Raudeway Village, South Mobotroplis_

_That evening…_

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_Still Manic's POV_

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Millie is this cute mobian squirrell girl who was about a year younger than me, which since I'm still fourteen, was thirteen, with her birthday being next month.

She had this cute mint green colored fur, coupled with blonde hair that was held back with a cute blue ribbon, blue eyes that were the kind that personified the term 'Childlike innocence' and she usually wore this light green vest overtop a short-sleeved emerald green spandex bodysuit, coupled with a pair of light green boots, and a few carrying pouches for tools and stuff, and a few throwing knife holders here and there, and a short dagger held in a sheath worn on a belt she wore around her waist.

'Course, I usually thought of her as a close friend and nothing more, but I swear, it seems almost like every chance she gets she's trying to come onto me.

Well, anyways, we had successfully managed to break into the flat, and were both very fortunate that the owner was out on vacation (One of our own members of the Urban Brotherhood had done some recon yesterday to confirm this.). As we looked through the rooms of the luxury apartment room, the riddle given to me by my father echoed through my mind over and over again like a broken record.

"_All that glitters isn't gold. Oftentimes, the most valuable items don't sparkle or glisten."_

"So, any idea on what we're supposed to be stealing tonight, Manic?" Millie asked me. I shook my head. "Not a clue." I answered.

At least, not yet.

To help me think, I decided to stop for a moment and enter my place of zen.

I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, then crouched on my knees, and held my hands out, palms up, crossing my fingers on both hands.

This was a zen position I used to help me concentrate, and it really does help a lot in most situations.

I then emptied my mind, focusing only on the the thoughts that were important.

After what seemed like minutes, I then opened my eyes.

I knew what I was supposed to steal.

I got back up, then walked over to the living room of the apartment, then walked over to this plain-looking vase, then reached inside it, and pulled out what looked like some kind of bug fossilized in a very dull chunk of amber.

Didn't sparkle.

Didn't glisten.

I placed the fossil in my tool pouch, then climbed out the window from which me and Millie came in from, which directly faced the building's fire escape. After Millie was out, I then gently shut the window, beind sure to let it lock once it was shut tight enough.

And now came the hard part.

Getting back down to the ground…

Which was two stories down from my exact position.

I gulped, then took another deep breath.

I never did like heights.

Not once.

I suppose you could call it a phobia, even though parts of my training involved great heights.

Usually, I'm fine, I'm able to easily regain focus, and end up making smart choices.

_Just don't look down…_ I told myself mentally.

That's making a smart choice.

However…

As we descended on the ladder, I suddenly lost my footing and slipped, falling down to the concrete alley below me.

As I fell, it seemed as though time had slowed down just for my descent.

However, my breathing and heartbeat picked up speed as adrenaline coursed through my veins.

I passed out before I reached the ground.

I woke up much later, my head pounding like a thousand drums as I struggled to regain conciousness. I looked up, however, and saw that same strange woman in the cloak I saw yesterday.

"… What happened?" I asked, my head still spinning a little.

"I caught you before you hit the ground." She told me, "You could've gotten seriously hurt."

I looked up at her familiar eyes.

"Are you an angel?" I asked.

The way she seemed to look at me seemed as though she wanted to tell me who she was, but couldn't. She also looked as though she was going to cry.

She then stood back up, then told me, "I have to go."

I then watched as she ran off, once again leaving my life.

"Manic, are you okay?!"

I glanced to my right to see Millie standing next to me.

"… Y-yeah." I answered as she helped me back up, "I'm fine…"

I wanted to tell her about the strange woman. I wanted to tell her so badly. But something kept nagging at me from the back of my mind not to.

So, instead, I simply said, "Let's go back to the hideout. I'm about ready for some dinner."

And with that, I put the woman out of my mind again, and replaced it with thoughts of what might be for dinner tonight.

After all, I was so hungry, I could eat an octorok!

… I gotta stop getting my series' mixed up.

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Aleena watched from behind the corner as Manic ran off with his friend.

She'd been really cutting it close that time.

If she'd stuck around longer, she'd have risked premature exposure, then all would be lost.

_It's not fair…_ She thought, _None of this is. To put one's own children through something like this their entire life is just completely unfair._

Tears escaped her eyes as they streamed down her cheeks.

_I want to be with them again so badly…_

She then pulled out a small music box from underneath her cloak. It was round and white, and was lined embelished with gold and silver, and had these three gems encrusted on the top of it.

One sapphire.

One Ruby.

One emerald.

She turned the key on it, and it opened, playing a soft, gentle tune as a small figure of a chao danced in a circle in it.

Years ago, she used to use this music box to lull her children to sleep when they were but newborns.

Now, it only serves to help Aleena find the strength in herself to keep going.

She looked up at the constellation of the three stars above her.

"… Soon…" She whispered to herself.

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_Castle Robotnik_

_Central Robotropolis_

_That same moment…_

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Years ago, Castle Robotnik used to belong to the Hedgehog royal family, at which time it was called 'Mobodoon Castle'

But after Ivo Robotnik staged his coup, what was once a beautiful, peaceful palace had become a desolate, sinister fortress.

Now, years later, Julius Robotnik, Robotnik's only son, inhabited this castle.

Far unlike his father before him, Julius was a young, thin, musclar man, about 25 or so. He had light skin, piercing red eyes, long, crimson hair that flowed past his shoulders and down his back, and had a bionic left arm, which could turn into a either a gun, or a roboticizer cannon.

He wore this dark crimson body armor, coupled with a long, black cape.

Also, did I mention that he kept a panther as a pet?

Anyways…

"So, that's your report, then?" He asked Bruiser, who stood cowering in front of him as he sat in his throne, gently stroking his pet panther.

Bruiser nodded.

"Y-yes sire." He stammered in response.

"So, a single Freedom Fighter broke into the base you were assigned to guard," Julius continued, "Somehow managed to not only get past the base's defences, plant an immense amount of plastic explosives in various points of it, and even steal some valuable, sensitive information from it's computer mainframe, but also managed to escape with his life?"

Bruiser gulped.

"… 'Her', sire."

Julius raised an eyebrow quizacly.

"… Pardon?"

"The freedom fighter who broke in, it was a girl, the uhhh… Princess Sally Acorn, I believe."

"… Maximillan's daughter?"

"Sh-she's more cunning than she lets on, sire."

"I see."

Julius then rose sharply from his throne, then stormed right up to Bruiser, then grabbed him by his throat with his bionic arm and held him up to his eye level.

"Then clearly tonight is a very sad night if one of my most skilled soldiers cannot manage to guard a fortress that could be easily guarded by a mere child!" He bellowed, his voice hot with anger.

Bruiser simply gurgled and sputtered as his master held him in a choke-hold.

Julius then threw him to the ground, then motioned for two swatbots, who then grabbed Bruiser by his arms, forcing him to his feet.

"Take him to the roboticizer." Julius commanded, "Hopefully he'll be more reliable once he's roboticized."

Bruiser's eyes went wide with terror.

"No, please!" He begged as he was dragged out of the throne room, "Anything but that! Give me another chance! I won't mess up again I swear! I'll do anything! **ANYTHIIIIIIINNNNGGG**!"

Scales walked by Bruiser as he was being escorted out, taking a quick glance at what he might call an 'example' of what happens to those who make too many dire mistakes.

After doing so, he then approached Julius with a bow.

"Sire, I wish to speak to you about something that may require attention." Said Scales. Julius motioned for him to stand back up, then said, "Very well. Proceed."

"Sire…" Scales began, "… Do you recall the 'prophecy' made by the Oracle of Delphius during the beginning of your father's reign of rule?"

Julius was silent for a moment, then simply responded, "Somewhat. Go on."

Scales took a deep breath, then continued.

"I think it may holds more truth than we had anticipated."

"And just why is that?"

Scales narrowed his eyes solemnly.

"Because I may have found one of Aleena's children…"

_To be continued…_

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_(1) For those of you who haven't read my other fic, Evil Never Dies, Lizaldians are basically an super advanced race of Mobian dinosaurs and reptiles. _

_(2) This is my best attempt at describing Sonia's outfit in the actual show. You know, the one she wears nearly the entire length of the series._

_(3) Lolz, subtle innuendo._


End file.
